Strange Waters — Constance Leonard

Gr 6-9 Two young Americans with sailing experience land what seems to be the job of a lifetime, crewing for a wealthy couple on an elegant yacht in the Greek Islands. Nearly from the moment of their arrival in Greece, however, Tracy and Pete are plunged into a series of suspicious and threatening eventsthe stabbing of a priest, a bomb threat, the theft of museum antiquities, the hostile outburst of their ship's Captain Ortega and the strange behavior of their new employers. Leonard is more effective in evoking the atmosphere and life style of the Greek Isles than in creating and maintaining an air of suspense. The novel is filled with authentic, colorful and intimate descriptions of the islands and the Greek people. However, the mystery is easily unraveled, the clues too obvious and the danger quickly defused. Characterization is thin, and for readers who have not met Tracy James in The Marina Mystery (1981), Stowaway (1983) and Aground (1984, all Dodd), Pete and Tracy's ages and their personal relationship seem rather ambiguous. A pleasant, but simple, mystery for less sophisticated readers or for those who have enjoyed Tracy James' previous adventures. Deborah M. Locke, Westbrook High School, Maine